Economic Development

City Planning

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Fourth-quarter drive: Finish your GED in 2013!

Fourth-quarter drive: Finish your GED in 2013!

For the estimated 3,000 people in Denver who have passed some but not all sections of theGED, there are abundant free resources available this fall to make finishing the test as easy and affordable as possible, from personal tutors and practice tests to having the $150 test fee waived.
The only catch is, you’ve got to finish all five sections before New Year’s Eve.
The reason that people are encouraged to finish their GEDs this year is that the test is changing, nationwide, in 2014. Beginning January 2, the test will only be administered via computer and will reflect newer academic standards, but the critical issue now is that any individual-section scores earned through December 31 will expire.
Scores from 2013 or earlier cannot be combined on the new 2014 test, meaning that individuals who are working their way through the five sections need to finish this year or risk starting over.
“If you’re part-way through earning your General Equivalency Diploma, or even just thinking about getting started, the timing is perfect,” said Mayor Michael B. Hancock, who announced today that four special testing sessions in Denver on November 18 and December 6, 13, and 28 will be “amnesty days”—with the usual $150 test fee waived.
This new push to raise awareness and provide guidance, tutoring, testing and financial support is all part of a special campaign launched recently by the Denver Office of Economic Development’s Workforce team, working closely with the Colorado Department of Education.
“Between the promotion we’re doing on how important a GED is to an individual’s earnings—that is, typically an additional $10,000 a year—and the range of services available immediately through the end of December, we’re really hopeful that we can encourage hundreds of people over the goal line,” said Ledy Garcia-Eckstein, Denver’s acting director of Workforce Development. “It’s a winning strategy for workers to start the new year with a credential that will definitely translate into bigger paychecks in 2014.”
Participation in the “amnesty days” requires advance registration by attending an orientation session being held on a rotating schedule each weekday at the Denver Workforce Centers at Speer, Montbello and Westside. For details and all other information about the range of services available: